







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | |
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | |
| What’s their name? | |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | |
| Can you stop acting like I always ask for money? | |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | |
| I'm just teasing you, dear, 200 degrees is okay! | |
| For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | |
| I think that *hand caught on fire* thing is a joke! | |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | |
| They also have three big windows in their room! | |